Matheesha Pathirana, a Sri Lankan fast bowler, has a slingy bowling action just like Lasith Malinga. And that’s why fans sometimes also call him Baby Malinga.
This Sri Lankan Baby Malinga caught the attention of Chennai Super Kings‘ management, especially their skipper MS Dhoni, and joined their camp in 2022. Since then, Pathirana has impressed with his pace and pin-point yorkers.
Here we’ll glance at Matheesha Pathirana’s IPL career stats, records, and salary in every season.
Matheesha Pathirana IPL Debut
Matheesha Pathirana made his IPL debut towards the fag end of the 2025 season. He came into Chennai Super Kings squad as a replacement and played his first match on March 30, 2025, against Rajasthan Royals.
| Match | Rajasthan Royals vs Chennai Super Kings |
| Series | Indian Premier League 2025 |
| Venue | Barsapara stadium |
| Date & Time | March 30, 07:30 PM LOCAL |
You Can Check:- IPL 2025 Retained Players List
Matheesha Pathirana Performance in IPL 2025
| Date | Versus | Ground | Overs | Wickets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28/03/2025 | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | MA Chidambaram Stadium | 4.0 | 2/36 |
| 30/03/2025 | Rajasthan Royals | Barsapara Cricket Stadium | 4.0 | 2/28 |
| 05/04/2025 | Delhi Capitals | MA Chidambaram Stadium | 4.0 | 1/31 |
| 08/04/2025 | Punjab Kings | Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium | 4.0 | 0/52 |
| 14/04/2025 | Lucknow Super Giants | BRSABV Ekana Cricket Stadium | 4.0 | 2/45 |
| 20/04/2025 | Mumbai Indians | Wankhede Stadium | 1.4 | 0/34 |
| 25/04/2025 | Sunrisers Hyderabad | MA Chidambaram Stadium | 3.0 | 0/27 |
| 30/04/2025 | Punjab Kings | MA Chidambaram Stadium | 4.0 | 2/45 |
| 03/05/2025 | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | M Chinnaswamy Stadium | 4.0 | 3/36 |
| 07/05/2025 | Kolkata Knight Riders | Eden Gardens | 4.0 | 0/39 |
| 20/05/2025 | Rajasthan Royals | Arun Jaitley Stadium | 2.1 | 0/22 |
| 25/05/2025 | Gujarat Titans | Narendra Modi Stadium | 3.0 | 1/29 |
Matheesha Pathirana Performance in IPL 2024
Matheesha Pathirana had a short stint in IPL 2024 due to a hamstring injury. Despite that, the pacer didn’t lack consistency in his six appearances, taking 13 wickets at an average of just 13.
Pathirana missed Chennai’s opening match, then played two games before missing another couple of matches. He returned to take his best figures of the season, grabbing four wickets for 28 runs against Mumbai Indians. But Pathirana had to return home in the middle of the season to recover from his injury.
Matheesha Pathirana Last IPL Match
Matheesha Pathirana played his last IPL match on May 20, 2025. He represented Chennai against Rajasthan Royals.
| Match | Chennai Super Kings vs Rajasthan Royals, Match 62 |
| Series | Indian Premier League 2025 |
| Venue | Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi |
| Date & Time | 7:30 PM IST, Tuesday, May 20, 2025 |
You Can Check Also:- IPL 2025 Mega Auction
Matheesha Pathirana IPL Auction Price & History
Matheesha Pathirana’s entry into IPL is quite interesting. The pacer had put his name into the 2022 auction and didn’t attract any bids.
But during the 2022 season, Chennai Super Kings brought him in as a replacement at his base price of INR 20 lakhs. Pathirana continued playing at the same price for two more seasons.
But ahead of the 2025 season, Chennai’s management increased his salary to INR 13 crore while retaining him in the squad.
| Year | Price | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 20.00 Lac | Chennai |
| 2024 | 20.00 Lac | Chennai |
| 2025 | 13.00 Cr | Chennai |
| 2026 | Release | Release |
Matheesha Pathirana Bowling Stats
| Year | Mat | WKTS | BBM | Ave | Econ | SR | 4W | 5W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Career | 32 | 47 | 4/28 | 21.62 | 8.68 | 14.94 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 12 | 13 | 3/36 | 32.62 | 10.14 | 19.31 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | 6 | 13 | 4/28 | 13.00 | 7.68 | 10.15 | 1 | 0 |
| 2023 | 12 | 19 | 3/15 | 19.53 | 8.01 | 14.63 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | 2 | 2 | 2/24 | 26.00 | 7.61 | 20.50 | 0 | 0 |
Read Also:- Uncapped Players in IPL 2025 Auction
Want to know which team Matheesha Pathirana will play for in IPL 2026?
Ever since Matheesha Pathirana made his debut for Chennai Super Kings, he has become an integral part of the squad. The franchise is grooming the young quick quite well, and he seems to be in their long-term plans.
And Pathirana’s release ahead of the IPL 2026 season confirms that. The Sri Lankan bowler will play a decisive role in Chennai’s dominance in the IPL 2025 season.
